The Thornburgh archive includes paper copies of news releases from the entire Department of Justice during Thornburgh's three years as Attorney General. However, only those news releases published by the Office of the Attorney General and some fewer from departments within the Department of Justice (DOJ) issuing news related to the actions and decisions of Attorney General Thornburgh are available for online use, 425 total. Some of the departmental releases are from, for example: Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Civil Division, Criminal Division, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Office of Justice Programs. The White House, itself, also issued some relevant news releases that also are included online.

These news releases provide a wide variety of detailed and interesting information regarding white-collar crime, war on drugs, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), rule of law, savings and loan scandal, organized crime, the arrest of Manuel Noriega, the indictments of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, and statistics regarding grants to states for the war on drugs. These news releases also contain statements, addresses, and remarks by Thornburgh before Congress, conferences, or councils, some which are not included in the formal speech files online.

The date range of the releases is July 1988-August 1991. The releases are filed chronologically by month, and in a few cases half-month. When searching the releases it is advisable to use the abbreviations list for the DOJ departments that is available here.